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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · field · bass · toast · fan · perch · sharp · cap

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cap — a lid
  4. perch — the fish
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cap — a hat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. toast — bread
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — a subject
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. craft — boats
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — farmland
  21. craft — a skill
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. field — for sport
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com